The Best Opening Moves in Backgammon: A Beginner's Guide

Every backgammon game starts with the same question: what do I do with this roll? The opening is one of the most studied parts of the game, and a handful of strong opening moves will immediately lift your play.

The golden opening rolls

Some rolls are so strong they have been played the same way for decades:

• 3-1: Make your 5-point (8/5, 6/5). The 5-point is the most valuable point on your board — take it whenever you can.
• 6-1: Make your bar point (13/7, 8/7). It blocks your opponent and builds your home structure.
• 4-2: Make your 4-point (8/4, 6/4). Another strong home-board point.
• 6-5: Run a back checker all the way (24/13). Safe, simple, and escapes a runner.
• 5-3: Make your 3-point (8/3, 6/3).

Split or slot?

With rolls like 2-1, 4-1, or 5-1, the classic choice is splitting your back checkers (moving one off the 24-point) while bringing a builder down from the midpoint. Splitting aims to build an advanced anchor; bringing builders down aims to make new points.

Slotting — putting a single checker on your 5-point with an ace — is aggressive and often correct in money play, but risky for beginners. When in doubt, split and build.

Common opening mistakes

• Moving both checkers from the midpoint too often, leaving your back checkers trapped.
• Ignoring the 5-point and 4-point in favor of 'safe' outer-board plays.
• Leaving blots (single checkers) in direct range of your opponent's home board early on.

The fastest way to internalize openings is to play a lot of short games and watch what strong opponents do. In Backgammon Premium you can start a match in seconds and practice against real players at your level.